Writers
by Jaclenia
Summary: This is an AU fic where both Usagi and Mamoru are authors and competitors. The question is...for how long?
1. Default Chapter

Hello everyone. This is the first story that I've every submitted so  
please, take the time to read it and give me you opinion, advice, etc.  
My email is jaclenia@hotmail.com so feel free to email me. I'd like to  
thank Lelu and Lady Aisheteru for their advice.   
  
Writers  
Chapter One  
Rated PG to PG-13 for language  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi was a writer. Not one of those cheesy people who do it   
for the glory or the money. She was *really* a writer. She wrote books  
made for everyone. They were the books that gave people hope, a reason.  
She made people want to live each day, waiting for their own peace of  
happiness that every character in her books eventually found. Those  
characters went through everything, but in the end, when it seemed all  
was lost, fate came through.   
  
She was lost in thought. The paper in front of her was covered  
in the various jumbles of thoughts that had spontaneously jumped into  
her mind. Throwing the pen down frustradedly, she rose from the kitchen  
table and poured herself a cup of cocoa. She rubbed her finger in a   
clock-wise direction on the brim of the cup and whispered silently,   
'cool the fire.' Taking a long sip, she smiled as it was at the perfect  
temperature.   
  
Usagi took another look at the note-book laying half-open on  
her table. Shaking her head furiously, she walked straight past it into  
the living room and sat in her favorite chair. Her body relaxed and she  
closed her eyes while imagining a blank image in her mind. Blocking out  
all around her, she found the whiteness of the image slowly changing,  
melting into a blur of colors. The mass straightened, revealing a pair  
of young people. They were standing at a beach's edge, the girl crying.  
He made a move to comfort her, but she merely pushed him away and began  
running away.   
  
Her eyes opened abrubtly as she shot up in the chair. Looking   
around herself, she sighed, finding herself back in her home. She stood  
wearily and picked up the small lump of black fur that lay on her white  
carpeting.  
  
"I've got to stop doing this don't I Luna?" she directed at the  
ball. It merely lifted it's tail a few inches, then let it drop lazily  
back to the floor.   
  
Usagi laughed at her own childishness. 'I'm talking to a cat.  
What's next?'  
  
Her slippered feet made only a quiet shuffle of noise as she   
walked the stairs to her room. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and opened  
the door. She plopped down and only got the covers half-way up before   
she fell into a deep, dreamless state of unconciouness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dancing. She was dancing freely, streams of color flowing from  
her body and splattering the bleack blackness that was surrounding her.  
She spinned, the colors surrounding her in a tornado of beauty. When  
she stopped, she wasn't the regular her any more. She was flawless. Her  
hair smooth, the curls bouncing happily around her shoulders. Her eyes,  
a hazel-gold, wise and all knowing. Her skin radiated the life that   
inhabitated her soul, filling the world around her with love.   
  
Suddenly, she felt a warm smudge on her cheek. Lifting a finger  
to the spot, she jumped when the feeling prodded on. Her eyes searched  
the surroundings frantically, her brain screaming when they found   
nothing there.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Her eyelids opened of their own volition, being met with those  
of midnight blue. She half-smiled as she lifted a hand and proceeded to  
pet the purring cat right behind the ears. It purred louder, and rubbed  
back against her hand. Luna jumped away and Usagi succombed without   
complaint.   
  
The sunlight poured in radiantly through the sliding glass   
doors of her porch. She walked up to them and squinted her eyes as she   
proceeded to scan the horizen. The world was a shining orb of white as  
the sun made the three feet of snow glisten magically.  
  
Turning away from the blinding sight, she went to the bathroom  
and began her usual routine. Take a shower, brush her teeth, go to the  
bathroom, wash hands, brush hair, get dressed. The same thing over and  
over again, the repition of it becoming mechanical.   
  
She pulled the thick woolen sweater over her head, adjusting a  
sleeve that had bunched up uncomfortably. She reached behind her head   
and tugged gently on golden chain that protruded from the collar. She  
released it and the four feet of hair dropped neatly down her 5'7"   
frame.   
  
Luna was sitting patiently next to her empty food bowl when   
Usagi came down the stairs. She reached for the wet food with one hand,  
and lifted the dry food with the other. After filling the bowl half-way  
with the dry stuff, she poured the wet food over it, pushing away the   
hungry cat unsuccessfully as she did so.   
  
Usagi stood and put the food away, clasping her nose closed at   
the awful smell of the small can. She threw it away and went on to the   
next task of making her own breakfast. She took the small package from  
the cardboard box and poured it's contants into a bowl. She poured in  
a bit of water and placed it in the microwave. After closing hte door,  
she went to get the paper left on the porch.  
  
She picked it up and pulled it out of the blue, plastic   
covering. Opening it to the front page, she turned a deep, angry shade  
of red at the headline. 'Chiba Mamoru Named Best New Author Of The Year  
By Tokyo International Publishing.' She folded it back neatly, then   
used all the strength she could muster to quickly shred it into a   
million different pieces. The scraps of paper floated down to the cold  
cement. Except one, that landed on her head. She furiously grabbed at   
it and yelled out frustradly at Mamoru's smiling face.   
  
Turning on heel, she walked back into her house and slammed the  
door. Usagi stormed angrily to the kitchen to grab her purse, and flew  
just as angrily out the door again, leaving a perplexed cat and a cold  
bowl of cream of wheat.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The brunette sat straight in her chair, filing multitudes of   
paperwork into a cabinet. Then she heard the sound. That sound was of   
her boss, Tsukino Usagi, ready to explode. The blond writer came   
bursting through the front doors of her office, her face set in a look  
that could only be described as true anguish. Either that, or just   
really, REALLY pissed off.  
  
"Read the paper huh?" the short haired girl asked calmly at the  
volcano that was her boss.  
  
"Oh yeah, you bet I did. That jackass, that asshole, that self-  
absorbed, impertinent bastard. I'll show him." Usagi steamed violently.  
  
Usagi's usually bright blue eyes shone with a bright blue fire  
that could make you turn to ashes in one glance.  
  
"Usagi-chan, why don't you get some coffee. It'll calm your   
nerves," stated the brunette soothingly. She reached out and lightly   
patted the clenched hand that gripped menacingly to the desk.  
  
"Your right Naru. I'll get some coffee." After a long sigh  
from the blond, she walked into her office.   
  
Usagi looked into her coffee cup, the brown liquid slightly   
lighter from the package of cream she'd just poured into it. Her   
swizzle stick made the concoction mix in a spiral clash of dark and   
light. She rolled her eyes upward as she gulped down the entire mug in  
one sip. The caffeine immediatly began to eat at her brain, making her   
the alert, perky person she usually was.  
  
She re-emerged from the office and took a glance at her   
secretary. Usagi walked smoothly from the doorway and sat at the edge   
of the desk.   
  
"So what's on the agenda for today Naru?" she asked, only half  
interested in the real answer.  
  
"Well," she began, dragging her voice on the word. "It looks  
like a reporter from Tokyo Today is coming at 10. At 1, your agent is   
coming in, and..." she silently ended.  
  
"And what?" Usagi asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow in the  
direction of her usually direct Naru.  
  
Naru took a quick look at Usagi, then defeatedly lowered her   
head to the schedule in front of her.  
  
"And at 3, Chiba Mamoru is coming in." Glancing at her boss,   
she was immediatly unnerved at the lack of movement coming from her.  
Usagi just sat there, blinking only a few times before the color of  
earlier returned.  
  
"WHY THE HELL IS THAT ARROGANT EXCUSE OF A MAN COMING INTO *MY*  
OFFICE?!" she screamed at the innocent Naru.  
  
"I don't know. He just called before you came in and asked if   
he could possibly see you today."  
  
"And you gave him an appointement?! What were you thinking! You  
know how much I despise that man."  
  
Naru gazed sadly at the floor.  
  
"Gomen nasai, Usagi-chan. I was just doing my job."  
  
Usagi turned her head towards her forlorn secretary and smiled.  
Reaching over, she took the younger girls hand in her own.   
  
"Don't worry about it Naru. Now I have an excuse for shopping  
during lunch," she joked.  
  
The brunette smiled and joined in the laughter.   
  
"Whenever the reporter get's here, send him in."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi took a sip from her Cherry Coke as she brushed her hand  
along the material of a snazzy looking outfit. Deciding that the collar  
was too high, she moved onto a nearby rack of dresses. She gripped the  
material of one dress tightly as her thoughts wandered back to her  
meeting with the reporter. Turns out he only wanted to know what she   
felt about Chiba Mamoru. She'd lied to the man of course, cause she   
could hardly tell him that she thought Chiba Mamoru was a plauge among  
the everyone on the planet. That would not go over well.  
  
A black dress caught her eye, and she pulled it from the rack.  
It went down to her knees and had a very sexy v-neckline. The material  
was very soft and the look was breath taking. Not even caring to look  
at the price, she walked over to the cashier and bought it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi entered her office at around 12:45. Umino was crouching  
once again over a mountain-load of paperwork. Picking up her messages,  
she walked into her office and closed the door. The messages weren't   
that important. Her mom wanting to visit. Her sister asking for money.  
Her brother wanting to meet for dinner.   
  
Tossing the pieces of paper nonchalantly on her desk, she shut  
the shades, and unbuttoned her blouse. After discarding both her shirt  
and skirt, she slid on the black dress. The material clung tightly to   
her figure and tickled her skin. She put the other outfit into the bag  
and shoved it into a nearby closet.   
  
She sat in her chair and pulled out a mirror. She quickly   
brushed on some light blush, and put on some light blue eyeshadow, then  
adding some darker blue eyeshadow above it. The affect brought out her  
eyes and lengthened her eyelashes.   
  
A quiet knock was heard from her door and Usagi jerked up her   
head to see who it was. Naru's head peeked around from the door.   
  
"Ms. Tsukino, your agent is here."  
  
Usagi merely nodded her head and watched the door open fully,  
revealing the dashing blond haired man that was her agent. He sat in  
the chair opposite her and smiled a dazzling white, toothy smile in her  
direction. She smiled back flirtaciously brushed a stray strand of   
blond hair back behind her ear.   
  
They both listened to the sound outside the door, neither   
moving until they heard Naru returning to her work. Standing simultan-  
eously, he leaned over the desk and pulled her onto it, know putting   
her in the position of standing on her knees.  
  
Their lips came together passionatly, each clinging to the   
other. Her hands ruffled his hair while his roamed freely along the   
expanse of her back. Need for air broke their mouths apart, both  
breathing heavily.   
  
"I missed you," he whispered sweetly into her ear, making the  
hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.  
  
"Not as much as I missed you," she replied, nipping his ear.  
  
He sat back down on the chair, bringing her to sit on his lap.  
She rested her head on his shoulder, her left hand playing with his   
tie.  
  
"How's the new book coming along?" he asked after a few   
minutes. She shrugged and lifted her head so that they were now eye to  
eye.  
  
"I got an idea last night while I was meditating. I got really  
strong feelings from it. I'm going to start on it when I get home."  
  
"That's good. You really need to get at it. Especially with   
that Chiba guy being named best new author."  
  
"Don't remind me," she answered gruffly. He squeezed her   
tightly and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry love. With your  
talent, you'll blow that guy out forever."  
  
She smiled and hugged him back, reveling in the feel of being  
in his arms again.  
  
Their relationship had started when they'd first met. They'd  
decided to meet at a resturant and had hit it off. Ever since then,   
she'd write, he'd give it to the publisher, and they'd celebrate it   
together.  
  
"I really needed to hear that."  
  
He began to stand, as did she.   
  
"That's why I said it silly." She plastered a pout on her face.  
He chuckled lightly and kissed her once more.   
  
"I'll be in touch soon. Hurry with that story though would   
you?"  
  
She nodded and waved to him as he left the office. She returned  
to her desk and turned on her laptop. Opening up WordPad, she wracked  
her brain for what she'd seen last night. The image appeared clearly   
and she began to write.   
  
Usagi looked from the screen to her clock and almost fainted.   
It was 2:56. She looked at the clock again and shook her head. She was  
totally dumbfounded that she'd spent almost two hours writing. A little  
pound of pain in her temple told her otherwise.   
  
She stepped out of her office and told Naru she'd be right   
back. Then, she walked out to the hall and to the end, where the fridge  
was located. Scanning over the contents quickly, she decided on some   
strawberry yogurt and some Evian(water).  
  
When she returned, she found that Naru standing with her back  
to Usagi, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.   
  
"Naru, daijobu?"  
  
Naru spun around quickly and sighed in relief.   
  
"He's here Usagi-chan. He's in your office waiting for you   
right now."  
  
Usagi nodded and walked over to the door. After giving herself  
a quick mental pep talk, she opened the door. She saw him holding a  
picture on her desk and smiling amusedly. She forced a cough and took  
it away from him.  
  
"Please sit," she said in the cheeriest tone she could muster.  
He did so and lifted his feet to rest them on her desk. His expensive  
leather shoes perched comfortably on the desk as he put his hands   
behind his head.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Tsukino-san. How's your new book?" he asked cooly.  
She tilted her head and smiled, turning the laptop screen to face him.  
He nodded and returned his gaze to her eyes.  
  
"Well Chiba-san, congradulations on the award. It's quite an   
honor. You should be proud."  
  
"Eh," he stated as he tilted his head.   
  
It took all of Usagi's self-control not to jump over her desk  
and just wring the man's neck. How could he just respond so uncaringly  
about something like that? she thought. Shaking away the thought, she   
stared at him once again.  
  
"What brings you here anyway, Chiba-san?" she asked, growing   
more and more impatient with the baka.  
  
"Well, I suppose I just wanted to get to know a fellow writer  
better. Would you like to go for dinner or something so we could talk  
on more comfortable terms?"  
  
"Certainly," she answered pleasantly. On the inside, Usagi was   
seething and on the brink of insanity. He had just compared a writer   
like her to a writer like *HIM*? It was crazy just to think about them  
being on equal planes.  
  
"Great. My limo'll pick you up at 7," he told her as he stood  
up and headed to the door.   
  
"Wait, don't you need to know where I live?" He merely shook   
his head and left.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Her reflection in the mirror looked dazzling, a figure of   
elegance. But unfortunatly, that's not what she saw. She licked a  
finger between her lips and twirled a lock of hair making it even   
bouncier than the two hours worth of curling had made it. Playing with  
it a little bit, she smiled when she pulled it all the way out, then  
released it. The curly lock bounced back gently, grazing her blush   
covered cheek.   
  
She turned away from the object and fiddled with a hem in her   
dress that had begun to unravel. Becoming frustrated that she couldn't  
simply pull it out, she took her key off the counter and rubbed it   
against the string until it finally came off.   
  
Usagi stood to her full size and rubbed the area on her lower  
back that had been giving her problems since that roller blading   
accident. She'd been going for an outside ride when a rock from the   
nearby construction had found it's way between her wheels. In the end,  
she fell hard onto the cement, and chipped her tailbone.   
  
The pain eventually subsided and she went into her room,   
scavenging the closet floor for the elusive, strappy shoes. Her fingers  
roamed blindly on the dark carpeted floor when the music of her   
doorbell began to ring out.   
  
"Coming," she yelled as she scrambled to her feet and flew down  
the stairs.  
  
Upon opening the door, she was met with a man who seemed to be  
around her age herself, waiting patiently in a black formal tuxedo.  
  
"You must be Ms. Tsukino."  
  
"Yes I am. Are you Mr.Chiba's chaffeour?"  
  
He nodded and told her he'd wait in the limo, which was parked  
conveniantly at the end of her walkway.  
  
"Certainly. Just give me a few moments," she began, but rolled  
her eyes when she saw that he'd already walked back towards the car.  
'Just like his boss' she thought disdainfully.   
  
Returning to the search for the shoes, she was over joyed when  
she saw them strewn neatly at the end of her bed. 'I must have put them  
their while I was getting dressed.' She shoved her feet into the shoes.  
  
She walked down to the awaiting limo, and was surprised when   
the young man popped out from the driver's seat to open her door. She  
smiled appreciatingly and sat down. Withing a few moments, he was also  
strapping himself in and beginning the car.  
  
The ride to the resturant was quiet except for the tiny sound  
of elevator music that played annoyingly from overhead. She was still  
completely stupified with just why she was here. By that meaning, *why*  
was she in Chiba Mamoru's limo, driving to have dinner with *him*. Her  
questions were left unanwsered though as they pulled into the driveway  
of a *very* expensive looking resturant.  
  
Her door was open by an American looking man, with an obviously  
fake french mustache. Cheesy. VERY cheesy. She just slapped on a smile  
and walked past him to the maître d', who didn't do the French much  
more justice than the other guy.  
  
"Welcome madam' to Chez' Paris. I am Donald. And what is your  
name?" Usagi bit her bottom lip hard to prevent bursting with laughter.  
  
"My name is Tsukino Usagi. I'm supposed be meeting with Mr.-"  
  
"Yes, Mr.Chiba. Right this way ma'am."  
  
She smiled in spite of herself at his antics and followed him  
to a booth in the far corner of the room. She couldn't really see him  
from this distance, but as they got closer, she could make out his   
features in the light of the candles.  
  
The maître d' motioned for her to sit, and she obediantly   
complied. Mamoru hardly looked up when she arrived, for he was fully  
expecting her to look worn and boring like the others writer's he'd   
seen to meeting with.  
  
"Would you like anything to drink? Or perhaps an appetizer?"  
  
"I'll have a... Arbor Mist please," Usagi replied politely.   
  
"Give me a red wine. The most expensive you've got."  
  
The servers eyes got a sparkle in them and those words and he  
quickly whisked away. As Mamoru turned his gaze towards where she now  
sat, he held back a gasp at the sight of her. The candlelight was   
making her skin and hair glow in a mysteriously sensual way. Her eyes  
were glittering orbs of sky that looked down into her lap. Those blue  
orbs lifted to his and time stopped for the two of them as their   
surroundings got kind of hazy. They sat their for more than what was   
customary just staring deeply into the other's gaze, comtemplating the  
readings they both got from the other.   
  
The maître d' had been standing their for over five minutes,  
poking either person in the arm repeatedly with no response. Becoming  
extremely frustrated, he picked up an ice cube from a wine bucket and   
dropped it non-chalantly on the black haired man's head. It took a few   
seconds for the cold to hit him, and still the man simply shook his   
head and let it drop off. Mamoru, after wiping a way a few water   
droplets, turned to the server blankly, looking totally surprised to   
see him there.   
  
"Your drinks, sir," he stated stuffily as he poured each of   
them their orders.   
  
"Have you decided what you'd like?"  
  
Usagi and Mamoru both blushed crimson at the realization that  
neither of them had done anything but look at eachother since they   
ordered their drinks.  
  
"Could you give us a few more minutes please?"  
  
The waiter just walekd away shaking his head as he went along.  
The pair lifted up their menu's to block their faces, awaiting the   
streak of color to melt away.   
  
Usagi gazed warily at the multiple arrays of food that were   
offered on the menu. Steaks, fish, salads, caviar, escargo, all that   
stuff that regular people expected the rich to eat. She found a steak  
that sounded very appealing until she looked at the price. It was over  
twenty dollars. Usagi, though rich, had never felt comfortable when   
people would buy things for her, espesially things that cost an   
extremely large amount of money. Deciding finally on a bowl of soup and  
a shrimp appetizer, she placed the menu gently on the table and took  
a gulp of her wine. She swished the fruity liquid around in her mouth,  
filling every corner of it with it's taste. She swallowed it and opened  
her eyes, looking expectantly at the man across from her.  
  
His dark blue eyes were looking anxiously across the menu,  
stopping occasionally only to move on to yet another one. Usagi noticed  
the maître d' approaching and grew nervous that he wouldn't be ready.   
Deciding on something cheap had not been an easy task, and she wasn't   
about to order first.   
  
"Have you decided on you meals?"  
  
"Yes, I'll have this steak," Mamoru said, indicating the choice  
Usagi had discarded earlier.  
  
"Excellent choice sir. And for you miss," he asked, raising   
expectant eyes from the pad to her.  
  
"I guess I'll have the shrimp platter and light salad with   
caeser dressing for starters. Then I'll finish it with you chef's   
choice soup." She extended the menu to the man, which he took sharply,  
looking agitated that she hadn't ordered more. Mamoru on the other   
hand, looked extremely happy that she hadn't, for the last author he'd  
taken out had nearly broken his wallet.  
  
"So, are you starting any new books Chiba-san?" Usagi asked  
after a long sip of her wine.   
  
"Um yes actually I am. I haven't gotten too far into it. It's   
still a work in progress."  
  
"I see," she answered in a tone that disgusied her boredom.   
  
"What about you? How's you life in general going. Any secret  
lovers that have aquainted you fancy lately?"  
  
Usagi sharpened her gaze at the last comment, knowing he was   
referring to a rumor that had arrisen last year that she was cheating  
on her boyfriend with a flower delivery boy. Her boyfriend, Greg, had  
believed them and left her the next day.  
  
"No, but I heard you've had your share," she spat out at him.   
  
Mamoru laughed amusedly at the woman across from him. She was   
beautiful but she sure had quite a tongue.  
  
"Not at the moment."  
  
She raised a questionable eyebrow at him over the rim of her   
glass. Looking skyward, she gulped down the remainder of the wine.  
  
They both sat their in silence, Usagi circling the rim of her  
glass with her forefinger. Mamoru, for his part, found it appealing to  
just look at the busboys working frantically to clear off a large table  
that had just been vacated by a group of at least twenty people.  
  
Neither had noticed the time that had passed because soon,   
their food had arrived. Each of them began to eat their food, stealing  
glances at the other every so often.  
  
"Why did you ask me to dinner anyway" she asked curiously as   
she began to eat her soup. (If you can really eat soup.)   
  
"Well, I thought I'd like to know my fellow writers on a more  
personal letters, so I can see how their works reflect themselves."  
  
"But wouldn't you want to know how the writers personalities  
affect their work instead?" she asked, dumbfounded that he'd look at   
their work before the person behind them.  
  
"No, I do exactly what I just said" he replied, becoming   
irritated at her challenging manner.   
  
"I see," she answered in the same tone.  
  
They finished the rest of their meal in silence once again,   
neither attempting or wanting to continue the conversation. It wasn't   
until they were walking to the cashier and paying the bill that they  
spoke again.  
  
"Thank you for the meal," Usagi said in a very business-like  
tone, never looking directly at him.   
  
"Your welcome. Thank you for coming."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
He began to walk towards the limo, but stopped when he saw her  
moving in the opposite direction.   
  
"Where are you going?" he asked at her retreating back.  
  
"Oh, I'll just take a taxi home."  
  
Before he got the chance to voice his disagreement, she'd   
already entered one and shut the door.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well everyone, did you like it, hate it? Please email me soon  
and tell me. Don't be afraid to be blunt cause I can take it. Thanks   
for taking the time to read this first chapter. I'll work hard to get  
the second one out soon.  
  
  
  



	2. Writers-Chapter Two

Hello again. Here is the long awaited chapter 2. Well at least long  
awaited to me. I just couldn't think of how to write this. Well, I   
would like to start by apologizing for a few of the mistakes I made in  
the first chapter. I sent it in a little too early so please don't use  
it against me. Also, I just want to describe Usagi for a sec. She's a  
writer who uses her writing to create what she wishes her life really  
would be like. She's partly reserved and doesn't like too much   
attention. And she hates Mamoru because he got successful with his   
first book while it took her a little while. Okay, with all that stuff  
out of the way, here's the story. Insert Disclaimer here. *Also, there  
is a reference to eating meat so no offense to vegetarians because my  
best friend is one also. Rated PG-13 I guess. Email me at  
jaclenia@hotmail.com.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi entered her home furious, slamming the door behind her.   
She threw her coat non-chalantly onto a nearby table and slumped onto her  
stairs. Her thoughts and emotions were fighting mercilessly, the two combos  
not mixing well. Her mind was telling her to be angry, to hate the man  
with whom success had come so easily too. She envied him with a passion, the  
thought him arrousing feelings she never knew she could have. Success  
had not been easy for her. Her first book had proved semi-successful,  
but the real fame hadn't come until her second book went out on sale.   
The popularity of that second one had fueled her and now she'd made it  
into a series of four books so far. She loved writing stories like   
those, where the character was so realistic that it was like looking at  
your own biography.   
  
Of course, that was her mental view on the situation. Her heart  
was a totally different matter. The sound of it gave her shivers and   
made her knees go weak. Not because she was in love with him or   
anything, just because he was a major hunk. He had a powerful aura  
about him that was both foreboding and frightening. She'd never read   
his book either, now that she thought about it. Maybe he's really good.  
  
She was knocked out of her thoughts by the insistent and   
annoying ring of her telephone. She reluctantly rose from her position  
and walked over to the kitchen. She answered it and rubbed her butt  
which was sore from sitting their for so long.   
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
"Hello?"   
  
Usagi nearly dropped the phone. 'It couldn't be him. No. Way.'  
  
"Hello? Is this the Tsukino residence?"  
  
"Yes, this is." she answered after a few moments, finally   
finding her voice. His voice was so deep on the phone that she was   
almost lulled into a semi-dreamlike state.   
  
"Usagi?"  
  
"Yeah Chiba-san?"  
  
"Oh, I wasn't sure if you knew if it was me or not," he stated.  
She leaned against the counter waiting for him to say something. She   
rolled her eyes, then remembering he couldn't see her, she spoke.  
  
"Eh, Chiba-san?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why'd you call?" She bit her lip in an attempt to hold in her  
laughter when she heard him smacking his hand to his forehead.  
  
"Right. Sorry. Um, I was just calling too...too..."  
  
"Too...too...?" she imitated, bursting out with the laughter  
she'd tried so hard to surpress. She sank down to the tiled floor,   
clutching at her sides as the laughter shook her body.   
  
He, hearing her, too joined in the laughter. He wasn't positive   
as to why he called, but hearing her voice had made him glad he did. He   
knew that she didn't exactly *like* him, you'd have to be blind (AN-no   
offense to the blind) not to see she held him in disdain.   
But that didn't stop him for trying. He was a very persistent man and  
didn't let petty things like disdain get in the way of what he wanted.   
That's what he did in the past, and he knew that he wouldn't stop any  
time soon.  
  
Her laughed died down and she found herself smiling like an   
idiot when she heard his deep voice showing amusement in a *very*  
appealing way.  
  
He noticed that she'd stopped laughing and coughed below his  
breath, using it to grab her attention once again.  
  
"Right. I called to ask you if you'd like to go for dinner   
again."  
  
The words just came out of his mouth, no second thoughts even   
entering his mind. It had just seemed natural and now that he'd said   
them, he doubted he'd take them back.  
  
"Sure," she replied. Her mind began berating her as soon as  
she said them. 'What do you mean sure?! He's your ENEMY. Get   
it E-N-E-M-Y. Meaning not your friend, your competition, hands off..'   
her mind drawled on.  
  
'Shut up will ya? It's obvious she isn't listening to you,' her  
heart stated matter-of-factly. It did so and sweat-dropped as, indeed,  
she was out of it.  
  
"Oh great. What are you doing, say Saturday night," he asked  
as he had gotten over the surprise of her agreement to his proposition.   
  
"I'm free. Say 7 o'clock?"  
  
"That's great. I'll pick you up."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Great. Oh, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you before then though,  
of course."  
  
"You promise," she said in a deep, flirtacious tone. Her mind   
was in over-drive by now. 'WHAT?! YOUR FLIRTING WITH HIM?!'  
  
'SHUT UP!! You'd think the worlds greatest computer *smirk*   
would have figured out that this is a losing battle.'  
  
Brain grumbles.   
  
"I promise. Bye."  
  
"Bye."   
  
She rested the phone gently on it's cradle, her body feeling  
light-weight and free. She ingnored the constant reminder of her mind  
until one thought struck her dead-on, causing her to freeze in her   
tracks.   
  
"Motoki," she whispered, realization finally hitting her. Motoki,  
her agent, her love. No, not her love. It was just a fling that had no real   
meaning. In fact if she didn't know any better he could be with another girl   
at the same moment.  
  
The thought made her feel a little less guilty, but not much.   
Shaking her head, she rubbed her forehead and went up to her room, her only  
intent to get sleep. LOTS of sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
Ding-dong.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open and shut almost immediately as the   
intense gaze of the morning sun nearly blinded her.  
  
Ding-dong.  
  
She rolled over and grabbed a nearby pillow, covering her  
head with it. She shrouded the blanket around herself and  
snuggled into it's immense warmth. The sound of her door quietly   
squeaking open startled her only a little, then she passed it off for Luna.  
  
"Morning beautiful," a deep male voice whispered in her ear,  
his lips gently brushing against them and causing shivers to run up  
and down her spine.  
  
"Morning," she replied sleepily as she rolled onto her back and  
wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him in for a long kiss,  
feeling him smile above her lips. He tossed the flowers aside and   
brought her closer with a hand on her slim waist. She shrunk away a  
second, but soon returned to him so he wouldn't think anything  
was wrong. She prayed in her mind that he hadn't noticed.  
  
"Usagi, babe, you okay?"  
  
Damn, she cursed mentally. She plastered on a smile and looked  
up at him from underneath those unbelievably long eyelashes of hers and  
brought up a hand to rub his cheek.  
  
"Now that your here, Motoki dear."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
One hour later, Usagi stared up into the closed eyes of her   
blond lover. He'd been asleep for the past 10 minutes. 'I guess our   
morning *cough* activities tired him out.' She rest her head on his   
shoulders and gazed with guilty eyes at her hands. For a reason unknown   
to her, she felt like she was betraying Mamoru, not Motoki.   
  
'Just where do your loyalties lie, missy? You owe Motoki *BIG  
TIME*. He *made* you. You'd still be writing stories on paper towels if  
it wasn't for him. You have a great way of showing gratitude,' her mind  
berated her.   
  
She let out a long, frustrating sigh and climbed out of his  
arms with practiced ease. She grabbed a nearby robe and covered her form,  
suddenlyfeeling ashamed of her own body. He groaned a little and she froze,  
almost tripping on the bedside table. He turned over and she slapped a  
hand to her forehead, reminding herself of her conversation with   
Mamoru. Usagi got this peaceful look on her face as she thought about   
their conversation. Okay, well the look wasn't really about the   
conversation per say, but just at the sound of his name she admitted to  
herself.   
  
The sound of her feet on the carpet was barely audible above   
the sound of his now-loud snoring. She gave out a half-amused laugh and  
put on some cocoa, since coffee didn't appeal to her much. 'Caffeine  
clouds the creative mind' she recalled a college proffesor of hers  
once telling during a lecture.   
  
The time on the little digital screen read nine-twenty, it's   
flashing red light almost mocking her with the fact that she was going   
to be late.   
  
She ran up her stairs and rushed past a sleeping Motoki into   
her closet. Throwing on the nearest item of clothing, she almost  
fainted when she saw what she was wearing in the hallway mirror. The   
dress had been given to her by her friend Minako as a birthday present.  
It had deep V-cutthe went down to her belly button and was navy blue in  
color. She just threw up her hands in an act of frustration and flew   
down the stairs and out the door, giving herself a mental reminder to   
call Motoki.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Naru glanced up for only a second from her laptop when  
her boss came in, the returned her gaze to the screen.   
  
"Morning Naru," Usagi greeted. Her voice sounded forced, but   
Usagi didn't really care that much at the moment.  
  
"Do I have any appointments today?"  
  
"Yes," she raised questioning eyes to her boss, "with Chiba   
Mamoru."  
  
Usagi gave a slight nod and walked into her office. She closed  
the door behind herself and layed back against, rubbing the sweat from  
her brow. The air-conditioning of her space sent a chill  
through her since the dress was sleeveless. 'Why do we have the air-  
conditioner on in the middle of winter? I guess I'll have to talk to  
Naru.' Coming out of her thoughts, she sat down in her desk and turned  
on the laptop. The smiling face of her nephew welcoming her. 'He just   
turned eighteen didn't he?'  
  
A message flashed at the bottom of her screen indicating that  
she had an email. Moving the little arrow over it, she clicked and a  
new screen popped up.  
  
-Usagi-  
  
Isono and I were planning on taking a vacation for the weekend  
and were wondering if our son Loi (AN-don't ask) could stay with you.  
I don't think he'll be too much of a problem now that he's eighteen.  
Well email me a.s.a.p. okay?   
  
-Shingo-  
  
She clicked on the compose button and began.  
  
-Shingo-  
  
It would be great to have him stay. I haven't seen him since   
the last time you visited from Kyoto. Just tell me where to pick him  
up.   
  
-Usagi-  
  
  
Usagi closed out the online screen and opened up her story   
from the day before. She'd gotten plenty of ideas for her male   
character thanks to Mamo-chan. She fingers froze and her body tensed  
up. 'Mamo-chan?!' She bit her tongue to try and hold down the feeling  
she'd gotten just from thinking that, but failed miserably and let  
her shoulders sink down. Her eyelids closed and she was lost to the  
torture of reality.   
  
She began to think about what he would look like with his  
shirt off. 'Not bad I bet.' She opened her eyes and remembered that  
she had to call Motoki and tell him where she'd gone so soon.   
  
"Naru?" she asked over the phone speaker.  
  
"Yes Usagi?"  
  
"Can you dial Motoki's cell?"  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
After a few seconds, she heard a click and then the ring.  
  
"Hello?" he answered.  
  
"Motoki? It's me, Usagi. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry  
for leaving so soon. I had to get to work. You don't have to leave   
right away. Feel free to make yourself at home. Oh, I'm expecting   
company after I get home so do you think you could leave after that?"  
  
"Sure. Bye," click.  
  
'That was easy. Of course, wouldn't I want it to be easy? It's  
not like I need that extra kind of stress right now.'  
  
Her attention returned to her story and continued to stay there  
for the next three hours.   
  
Usagi's body jerked away from a hand when it reached out to   
touch her. Her wide eyes leapt from the fingers to the face and they   
grew even wider.   
  
"Hey Usagi. Did you forget about lunch? Or did your secretary  
just not tell you?"  
  
"Yes, she told me. I just... I was just so caught up in your   
eyes..I mean my writing..." she rambled, her embarrassment rising to  
unfathomable levels. He gave her a sexy half-grin and pulled her up.   
  
"Whoah," he stepped back. "Nice to see you got dressed up."  
  
Her eyes asked him what he meant, then she looked down. She   
blushed to her roots and looked down at the floor.  
  
"We should get going or we'll be late for the reservation."  
  
"Where are going that you'd need a reservation?" she asked as  
he led her through the door and down the hall.  
  
"That's a surprise."  
  
She looked into his eyes with her own nervous ones. They   
glittered in a comforting way and she let out a breath she hadn't   
known she'd been holding in.   
  
They didn't say anything as the limo drove them around the   
city. It stopped by a small marina with a little red and white sign  
reading 'Arrggh' on it. She raised an eyebrow to him but he didn't seem  
to notice.   
  
"Come on."  
  
She followed him after hesitating a little. He led her   
down a couple of stairs until she saw a nice looking yacht tied to the  
end of the pier.   
  
"Is that where we going?" she asked.  
  
He nodded and pulled her along beside him. He put his hands   
around her waist when they stopped, and her head turned to stare into   
his teasing blue eyes.   
  
"Don't worry about it. I just want to make sure you don't fall  
in the water."  
  
"Oh," she muttered in relief/dissapointment. Which one she   
really didn't know.  
  
He lifted her petite figure into the boat with ease, and Usagi  
noticed that the places he'd touched were now cold without that sense  
of security. He soon joined her and walked around to the   
other side where the wheel was. She walked over and leaned against a   
railing as he began driving them out to the middle of the bay.   
  
'She makes quite a sight,' he thought to himself as he snuck a  
look at her. She did look magnificent, her blond hair flying in the   
wind like that. And if the sun hits it just right it looks like gold.'  
He rolled his eyes at himself when he realized he was turning poet over  
this girl.   
  
Her head turned to face him just as he looked away. She'd seen   
that look in his eyes. It was un-mistakable. He'd been looking at her   
as one would would a wife/husband. That look was filled with awe and   
love, both very flattering emotions she thought she had yet to feel.   
Blushing once again to great extents, she turned back towards the   
water.   
  
The sight was quite breathtaking. The sky's clear blue color  
shone with clarity on the water which was highlighted by the white-caps  
that formed from the slight breeze. A high shriek caught her attention  
and she looked with alarm ahead of her. She had to strain her eyes in   
order to see them. Her peripheral vision picked up a pair of binoculars  
which she grabbed without a second thought. She brought them up to her   
eyes and saw that the scream had come from a woman being balanced on a   
man's shoulders while water-skiing.  
  
She felt the boat come to a stop. The binoculars fell from her   
hand, but slammed into her chest since the strap was around her neck.   
Usagi saw that the item had opened up the already too-revealing   
neckline showing something that would have made a priest faint. She   
heard him coming up behind her and she quickly pulled the material shut  
and spun around, startling him.   
  
Their eyes met and locked, everything once again being focused  
entirely on the other. A stray piece of hair flew past her eye and he  
lifted up one hand to brush it behind her ear. His hand stayed their  
and brought her head to his. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, the   
sweetness of it almost overwhelming them both. They pulled away only a  
little making sure that they could still feel the heat radiating from  
the other.   
  
Both their eyes closed and they came together once again. This   
one was much like the first, only longer. The kiss didn't need to get  
really heated just yet. His intent had been to see if he'd have a   
chance which the first kiss had proven. The second one however, was   
just for the heck of it. Both were content just being connected in that  
way, each reveling in the feel.   
  
Usagi pulled an arms length away from him. Her hands rested   
on his green jacket and rubbed the material underneath. She smiled and  
drew little pictures on it with one finger. He caught it with his own   
hands and gave it a light kiss. She giggled and pushed him with little  
pressure sending him back a step.  
  
"Ready to eat?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Here it is."  
  
He stepped away and behind him was a dark mahogony table set  
with all the basics. She walked over to a chair and tried to seat   
herself. TRIED. He insisted on pulling it out for her, which would have  
flattered practically anyone. Anyone except for her. When Usagi was   
waiting to eat, anything like that was just a waste of time. She'd  
started eating even before he had the chance to get to his own place.  
His eyes followed her every movement as she poured the dressing on her  
salad and began to eat. Her sky blue eyes glanced every which way   
and closed everytime she swallowed, a look of peacefullness crossing  
her features.   
  
"I take it that you like it."  
  
She nodded her head and finished the rest of it, swallowing the  
remainders down with a sip of her water. Her gaze met his and she   
looked away, suddenly becoming very aware of what she was doing. She   
glanced at him again to see that he was still watching her.   
  
"What? What am I doing that's more fascinating than your food?"  
  
He furrowed his eyebrows in a questioning manner seeming to   
have no idea what she was talking about.   
  
"Why are you staring at me?"  
  
"Oh. Because you look beautiful when you eat," he said as he   
shrugged his shoulders.  
  
She took in a breath and began to say something but stopped.   
Instead, she held it, then released and continued to eat. He couldn't   
help but laugh at the picture she made.   
  
He finally gave into his own stomach's need for hunger and   
ate his own meal in complete silence. It wasn't until the last strip of  
steak* had been eaten that the conversation began again.   
  
Usagi folded her napkin into a little triangle and set it on   
her plate. She slouched into her chair and layed her head back letting  
out a long, heavy sigh of fulfillment.   
  
"Mamoru," she asked.  
  
"Yep," he answered as did the same.  
  
"Do you have any ice cream?"  
  
One eye shot open and he saw her looking at him with hope   
sparkling in her eyes.  
  
"I think I might in the cabin. Do you wanna check?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Usagi turned away from him and bent her knees slightly as she  
went through the angled doorway. It was dimly lit with the only light  
being reflected in from a nearby mirror. She stumbled on a table and   
landed face first on a couch.   
  
"Dammit," she yelled at no one in particular. She rose from the  
seat and continued to fumble her way through the cabin. Her hands   
finally grasped a cool surface and she pulled on the handle. Light   
engulfed the room and she found herself face-to-face with not one, but  
four different ice cream gallons. Her eyes roamed the bounty before  
her with hungry eyes, devouring the cool treats with only her gaze.Her  
hands reached out and grabbed them all, pulling them possessively into  
her clutches.   
  
Her fingers searched the nearby wall blindly, feeling for the   
light switch. She was suddenly surrounded in the lights and saw Mamoru  
standing on the steps, his finger resting on the elusive light switch.  
  
"Hey, I see you found some. Well not some, a lot!!"  
  
She gave a triumphant grin and sat down and the couch she had  
fallen into before.   
  
"Do you have any spoons?"  
  
"Yep, here you go."  
  
She took it and flipped open the top of each one. She lay back  
in the seat and looked at each container with a look of seriousness.  
  
"What are you doing," he asked.  
  
"Me? Oh I'm just deciding what order to scoop it in."  
  
"Well that's easy. You take a scoop of either the cherry,   
chocolate, orange, or mint chocolate."  
  
"Not me. You see, I scoop one of each onto the spoon when I eat  
ice cream and the order is very complex."  
  
"Oh? And why is that?"   
  
"Because the order affects the taste results. You don't want to  
eat your chocolate and have it be followed by orange. Mint chocolate  
isn't the best choice either. So you use cherry. Cherry followed by   
orange would be the next choice and you'd begin with mint chocolate   
chip. That way, you get the best tastes each flavor can provide," she  
rushed out.   
  
Mamoru just stared at her. 'This is one *strange* woman.   
Interesting, but very, VERY strange.'  
  
Deciding against the chance of him responding any time soon,   
she scooped the flavors in the decided order and groaned in enjoyment.  
That little sound had shocked him out of his trance and back to   
reality. Her hands were outstretched in offering to him. He smiled and  
took a scoop in her order and was surprised to see that she was right.   
  
"You were right. This *IS* really good."  
  
"Of course it is," she stated.  
  
"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't. You see, I believe that if your  
gonna spend the precious moments of your life doing something, you   
should be enjoying the heck out of it when you do. I mean, what's the  
point of doing it otherwise. Why choose to do something when it only  
takes away from other fun things."  
  
"Are you enjoying this?"  
  
She looked at him and saw that he wasn't talking about the ice  
cream. His eyes were partially opened and focusing only on her. She   
could see what the answer would mean to him. The answer was simple.  
  
"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else."   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That seems like an okay place to stop. I'd really love to hear  
from you and know what you would like to happen next. I enjoy hearing  
your suggestions and I will take them all seriously. Well, until then.  
  
"Your job is not to find the story idea, but to learn how to recognize  
it."  
  
-Stephan King  
-A Memoir Of the Craft, On Writing   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. 3

Hey!! Thanks for sticking with me for so long. I know the last chapter  
wasn't the best, but don't worry. This chapter is going to make up for  
it. I hope. Well email me at jaclenia@hotmail.com!! I also realize that  
in my story Freedom, I stated that the drop was probably about 150 ft.   
There is a problem with this that one reader informed me of. A drop of  
only 50 ft can kill someone. The only excuse that I can think of is   
this and it's still pretty lame. It was like one of those moments in   
movies where it's in slow motion and the fast part of the drop didn't   
start until 20 ft above the water. Lame, but an excuse. Insert   
Disclaimer Here.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The pair had sat there until half of each carton had been   
eaten. They probably would have sat there longer if Usagi hadn't seen   
the time flashing on the digital clock.  
  
"Oh my god!! We have to get going or I'll be late!!" she   
yelled.  
  
"Okay, just relax."  
  
Her fingers clenched the material of her dress in a death grip.  
She'd always been a little freaky when it came to just the idea of her  
being late. She began to nervously shift from one foot to the other as  
he went up top and began to drive.   
  
'It's okay Usagi. You won't be late. Just relax' her mind   
whispered.  
  
"Breath in, breath out," she repeated until the mantra finally  
worked. She walked up the few steps and joined him just as they were  
pulling into the dock.   
  
"Great timing. Now we just have to hope that traffic isn't a   
killer."  
  
He just laughed at her, jumped on the dock, and walked   
towards his car. He heard her footsteps behind him, the heels making  
little thumps on the sandy ground.   
  
Their windows were rolled down and the window began to blow   
the cool sea air into the car. The radio played Alicia Keyes(AN-not   
sure how to spell it) 'Fallen' and Usagi couldn't resist the urge to   
smile. It reminded her so much of the things she'd gone through in her  
past. Well, relationship-wise. 'If anything happens between us, this  
will be our song' she mentally noted. It would fit them well.   
  
She pulled out her small organizer and wrote it down on the   
note page. She felt his eyes on her and she slammed the cover   
shut. His eyes returned to the road when she caught him. 'Close call.'   
She gazed out her window and saw just how close they were to her  
building. Then, they pulled in.   
  
"Wow, that was really fast," she said. She exited the car and   
began to walk towards the door.  
  
"Usagi, wait."  
  
Usagi whirled around and saw him jogging towards her.  
  
"Usagi, you.. um... have some ice cream on you face," he stated  
and pointed a finger at her mouth. Her hand raised to the spot and   
began to rub an uncovered area.  
  
"Is it gone?"  
  
"Wait, I got it."  
  
He leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss. His arms remained  
around her waist as they pulled away, his forehead against hers. She  
gazed up at him and smiled.   
  
"Are you going to call me about tomorrow?"  
  
His lips on hers gave her all the information she needed to   
know. Of course, one piece of information she didn't know was that they  
were being watched by a particular blond haired man.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi was scurrying around the vicinity of her house, picking  
up the different items that had built up over time. She cursed as she  
stubbed her toe on chair leg. She tripped two more times in as she  
tried to get up the stairs with her view obstructed by the clothes she  
was holding. Once she finally succeeded in getting to her room, she  
threw the clothes on her bed and grabbed some spare sheets from her   
closet.   
  
Her guest room wasn't that fancy, but it would do. The white of  
the walls gave it twice as much sunlight and gave the room a cheery  
feel. Laying the sheets on the bed, she walked down the stairs and put  
in some popcorn. If her nephew was anything like her brother, he would  
be hungry after the flight. Right one cue, her doorbell rang. Setting   
the timer, she went and opened it.  
  
"Hey Loi. (AN-that is a stupid name!!! No offense to any Loi's  
out there.) How was the flight?"  
  
"Okay. The food sucked," he grumbled then made his way to the   
kitchen, leaving Usagi to the task of bringing in his bags. 'That boy'  
she hissed. She picked up the two suitcases and threw them through the  
doorway. She was no one's maid so she didn't have to promise service.  
  
RING RING RING  
  
"I'll get it!!" she yelled even though she knew perfectly well  
that he had no intention of getting it.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Usagi? Is that you?"  
  
"Yeah Mamoru, why do you ask?" she questioned.  
  
"Nothing. It's just that you sounded different."  
  
"Really? How so?"   
  
She giggled when she knew how much this was torturing him.  
  
"I don't know. I guess you just sound...happy."  
  
"And I didn't sound happy the other time you called?" she spat  
out, her free-hand thrown into the air.  
  
"No no no. That's not what I meant."  
  
"*laughter*. I'm kidding. Why'd you call?"  
  
"I just wanted to make sure everything was set for tomorrow  
night."  
  
Usagi smacked her head hard, surprised that she'd completely   
forgotten about it.  
  
"Oh god, I'm so sorry. My nephew's staying with me and I can't   
just leave him alone in this house. And it doesn't help that he's my  
brother's son."  
  
"How old is he?"  
  
"Eighteen, why?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"He can come along. In fact, I think he'll really enjoy where   
I'm taking you."  
  
"Okay," she answered slowly while her suspicion grew to the   
red area.  
  
"Yep, that's settled. I'll pick the two of you up at around   
7. The place has food too so don't eat before you come."  
  
"Scouts honor," she teased.  
  
"I knew you'd be okay with it. I'll see you then."  
  
"Bye."   
  
Usagi hung up the phone and let her body sink to the ground.  
She began to enter her now favorite state of mind. Her eyes looked   
distant and her mind melted. Her lips curved up and a sigh escaped her  
partially open mouth.   
  
"Aunt Usagi?"  
  
'Stupid boy, ruining my dreams' she thought. She got up and   
turned to face him.  
  
"Yes Loi?" she asked without a hint of the venom she was   
thinking in her voice.   
  
"Where's the bathroom?"  
  
'This is going to be a long weekend.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi lay down on her bed trying to sleep. The key word is   
*trying*. The music that came pumping from her guest room was tasteless  
and eliminated the chances of her getting any sleep. 'Who listens to   
that crap anyway' she wondered. Her mood wasn't the best either as the  
day had been an stressful one. Loi had talked her into going hiking   
and of course, they got lost. It had taken them two hours before they   
found the main site. Then, he'd insisted that she take him to the beach  
so that he could check out the local girls. She'd offered him her car  
to go himself, but he insisted that it would help him, whatever that   
meant. Now, she only had three hours before the date and could hardly   
keep her eyes open or keep her head from pounding.   
  
"DAMMIT LOI, TURN THAT MUSIC DOWN!!" she screamed. The music  
shut off and silence prevailed. 'Finally. Now I can get some rest.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Usagi, your date is here," Loi sang out from behind her door.  
  
Usagi opened her once closed eyes and jumped into a sitting   
position as his words sank in.   
  
"Oh shit," she yelled. She got out of her bed and ran out of  
her room, towards her door. She finally stopped and gasped for   
breath while rearranging her frazzled hair. She opened the door and   
gave him a cheery smile.  
  
"Hey there."  
  
"Hi. I'm glad you didn't change yet because this," he stopped  
and lifted up a neon green bag with the word Deb on it, "is what I want  
you to wear."  
  
Her eyes shifted from him to the bag. After a few moments, she  
plucked it from him and moved out of the way so he could enter.   
  
"Loi!! Can you two wait in the living room while I change?"  
  
"Sure, whatever."  
  
Waiting until Loi joined her date, she walked down the hall  
and into the bathroom.   
  
~Five Minutes Later~  
  
"AAAGGGHHH!!!"  
  
Two heads turned from each other and toward the source of the  
sound.   
  
"CHIBA MAMORU, THERE IS NO *WAY* I'M WEARING THIS!"   
  
The man in question walked with confidence to the front of the  
door. His fist knocked against the door lightly.   
  
"You called for me."  
  
"Mamoru, there is no way."  
  
"You don't like it?"  
  
"Well, I like the color on me, and I must admit-HEY SHUT UP!!  
Don't try and disorient me. As I was saying, I'm changing."  
  
"Let me see you first."  
  
Not waiting for a response, he flung the unlocked door open and   
swung her around. He blinked, and took a double take. When he'd seen  
this on the way here it had looked okay, but now she just looked drop  
dead sexy.  
  
"You look.. just.. wow," he finished.   
  
Her hands were tugging at the bottom of the dress.The shiny  
silver material was as tight as second skin and revealed more skin   
than comfortable for her. It almost looked like a bra and underwear  
because of the large hole in the front and back. To her dismay, the   
only thing that happened when she tugged the bottom down the top went   
with it.  
  
"No way. There is no way, and that's final," she replied with   
ease. Her body rested against the frame and looked at him with a look  
only definable as smug.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The only one with a smug look on there face now was Mamoru as   
he shut the front door behind Loi and Usagi. Her arms were wrapped   
tightly in front of her chest as she tried to cover the outfit. 'How   
did I let him talk me into this' she thought as her gaze looked once   
again at the silver skin.   
  
"Wow dude, you've got a limo?" Loi said.  
  
"Yep. Go on in."  
  
"Well at least we'll look somewhat classy," she breathed as she  
took a step towards it.  
  
"Oh no beautiful," he commanded as he pulled her back to him.  
  
"That," he said pointing out," is what we'll be riding.  
  
Her gaze looked at the finger and looked in that direction.  
  
"You've got to be kidding."  
  
Loi, who had been watching from in front the limo, looked   
behind it and burst out laughing.  
  
"Man, your gonna have a heck of a time getting her on that   
motorcycle."   
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Mamoru grabbed Usagi from behind and carried her in his arms   
towards the vehicle.  
  
"NO, LET ME DOWN. I DON'T WANT TO GO ANYMORE. PUT ME DOWN!!!"  
she repeated over and over again.   
  
His hands clamped over her mouth and silenced her cries. He   
quickly sat down and pulled her behind him.  
  
"Hold on," he shouted as he turned on the motorcycle and sped  
off.   
  
Loi stopped laughing and sat in the back of the limo.   
  
"This is gonna be fun," he sang.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi's arms were clamped in a death grip around his stomach  
and her eyes were shut. Her head pressed against his back and she bit  
down on her bottom lip to prevent from screaming.  
  
Mamoru didn't have any problem with any of this. He'd wanted to  
do something that he knew she would never do on her own, and he knew   
that he was succeeding.   
  
"We're almost there!" he shouted over the sounds of traffic.  
He felt her nod against his back and her grip tighten. His smile   
broadened and his speed increased.   
  
"There it is!" she could just make out. Her eyes opened and   
grew to the size of an orange.  
  
"You've got to be kidding."  
  
"I bet you wish I was."  
  
Before Usagi could say anything, the limo pulled out and   
revealed a wide eyed 18 year old.  
  
"Whoah. You've got good taste man."  
  
"Thanks," he replied in that arrogant tone he had.  
  
Usagi shot daggers at the her nephew and then to her date. His  
arm went around her waist, preventing any chance of escape. She gave up and followed him through the door of the bar.  
  
You see, bars don't bother Usagi that much. But this one was   
different. For you see, this was a *mens* bar. Usagi looked at the   
three different glass stages where three girls were dancing with poles.  
  
"Oh god," she muttered. She turned her head into his chest and   
walked on, trusting him to prevent her from running into anything.   
  
"Sit down."  
  
She did as she was told and pulled her head away.   
  
"Oh god," she repeated. They were sitting right in front of the  
middle stage. Against her will, she began to laugh. The dancing girl  
was looking at her and then held out her hand. Usagi looked at the hand  
and back to it's owner. The woman was smiling at her with one eye  
winking. Mamoru's hand pressed her back and she was forced to accept   
it. Usagi was pulled onto the stage and a roar from the men in the   
crowd was deafening. She blushed a deep red and couldn't help but laugh  
again. The woman was encouraging her to go ahead and dance. Throwing   
her morals out the window, she kicked her shoes to Loi and spun around  
the pole.   
  
Her gaze met Mamoru's and he was laughing his head off. She   
began to laugh herself and lost her hold on the pole. She swung and  
fell right into his lap. They just stared at each other for a second,   
then broke into laughter once more.   
  
It was about three minutes before they finally started to calm   
down. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she wiped them away.   
  
"I can't believe I just did that. What would reporters do if   
they knew what I'd just done?" she asked.   
  
"I don't know. But you have to admit you had fun."  
  
She tried to fake a pout but ended up smiling.   
  
"Maybe just a little," she said and scrunched up her nose while  
she squeezed together two fingers.  
  
He laughed and leaned his head forward until their noses were   
touching. Her smile faded and she looked from his lips to his eyes.   
They moved towards each other slowly, their lips a mere breath away...  
  
"Aunt Serena?"  
  
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. Her head turned in   
Loi's direction and she feigned a smile.  
  
"Yes, dear Loi," she said with a smile and a glint in her eyes.  
  
Loi's eyes grew wide when he saw that look. His father had told  
him many horror stories about things she'd done to him when she'd have  
that glint in her eyes.  
  
"Never mind," he squeaked out.   
  
"Okay."  
  
"Usagi," Mamoru whispered in her ear. "Would you like to leave?"  
  
She pulled her head away and looked with one brow raised at   
him. 'Why does he want to leave already?'  
  
"Why do you want to call it a night so soon?"  
  
"I didn't say I wanted to call it a night, I just asked if you  
wanted to leave."  
  
A look of recognition made it's way across her face and she  
nodded. Then, her eyes flicked over to where Loi was sitting and back   
to him.  
  
"Hey Loi," he said, poking him in the arm.  
  
"Yeah," he answered without looking at him.  
  
"Stay here as long as you want. Use the limo as you please too.  
Usagi doesn't feel good so I'm taking her to home. See you later."  
  
Mamoru began to walk towards the entrance but her hand stopped  
him.   
  
"I need my shoes. Hang on."   
  
He watched her retreating back and looked down as a blush came  
across his features. She returned to his side and pretty much dragged  
him out the door. Once out of the building she let out a sigh and   
leaned against the cool brick wall.  
  
"Want to go to my place," she asked him. Her head turned to the   
side and faced him, her eyes glittering in the neon lighting.  
  
"Sure," he answered.   
  
"Milady," he exaggerated as he held out his arm to her. She  
waved her hand and took his proffered one, leading her to the two-  
wheeled vehicle Usagi found herself looking forward to riding on. They  
both got comfortable and went off, passing many of Usagi's favorite   
stores as they went.   
  
The sound of the vehicle pierced through the night of her quiet  
street. The ice-covered streets had done nothing to his speed and she   
cringed every time they went around a corner and it screeched. Only   
when her walkway was in sight did she let out a breath and loosen her  
hold, much to the driver's disappointment.   
  
Mamoru got off the cycle first, then turned to help her out.   
She'd only managed to get off the seat before her knees gave out and   
she fell into his arms. She blushed and looked away as she stood on her  
own and smoothed her *dress*.  
  
"So, do you want to come in for some cocoa," she asked. He  
nodded and she walked down the path to her front door, snow finding   
it's way into her strappy sandals. The door opened without trouble and   
she led him to the kitchen where she began the task of making their   
drinks. Once she'd set the timer for the microwave, she turned to  
Mamoru who was sitting in one of her counter stools.  
  
"I'll be right back. I just have to change." Leaving him alone  
in her kitchen would have bothered her if it wasn't for an odd feeling   
of relaxation that lurked in the back of her mind. She closed her door and threw off the shoes and *dress*. Her hands grabbed a pair of sweats and loose t-shirt and she put them on. The material hung   
loosely from her body, a comfortable change from that monstrosity she'd  
worn only a few moments ago. Some part of her almost liked it, but that  
thought was crushed in a ball and thrown away. Checking her hair  
once, she walked into her kitchen to find him searching through her   
cabinets. The cocoa sat on the 'island' countertop and steam was rising  
from each mug.   
  
Usagi crouched to ground-level, opening a small drawer and   
lifting out a small plastic package filled with white fluffy   
marshmallows.  
  
"Looking for these," she asked him with her arm holding the bag  
at arms length.  
  
"Yeah." He took it from her and placed a few of the mini's into  
each cup. The bag was tossed to her and she caught it easily. Placing  
them back in their designated spot, she went behind him to look over  
his shoulder. His scent wafted through the air and mixed with that of   
the drinks. The smell of roses and chocolate. Odd, but nice. His head   
angled so that he was looking her in the eyes and she noticed for the   
first time the specks of silver that highlighted the blue. The edges of her mouth curved upwards, a small yet-noticeable smile forming. She reached around him and grabbed one of the mugs. Raising them in a small toast she took a sip and within mille-seconds she spit it back in.   
  
"H, hh, hhh, hoooottt," she sputtered. Her tongue was hanging   
from her mouth as she jumped up and down.   
  
"Your supposed to wait awhile, or do what I do," he stated as   
his hand went into her freezer. Two ice cubes were in his hands and he  
dropped them into his cup.  
  
"I prefer my way thank you very much."  
  
Her finger swirled clockwise on the mug's rim and she whispered  
the words silently. His eyes held curiosity as she brought it to her  
lips and took a long sip. She closed her eyes as the cup left her lips,  
the liquid at the perfect temperature as usual.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"It's a secret," she answered with a lift of her shoulders.   
Usagi sat at her kitchen table and propped her feet on the polished   
wood. She closed the notebook that still lay there and placed it in her  
lap. He joined her and stretched one arm behind his head in an act of   
laziness.  
  
"You've really got a nice place," he commented as his eyes   
skimmed the room, taking notice of simple accents like painted flowers   
and ivy shaped napkin holders.   
  
"Thanks. It took three books to afford the down payment. But   
it's in a wonderful location with the country only a few minutes away.  
I bought in the hopes that I'd have some children to raise but that  
seems pretty unlikely now," she finished in a sad tone. Her eyes got a   
distant look for only a second and was replaced with the regular one  
she used for conversing with guests.   
  
"How about you Mamoru? Any plans for kids?"  
  
"I don't know. If I found the right woman I suppose."   
  
She shook her head and took another sip of her cocoa when a   
thought struck her.  
  
"Hey Mamoru, how'd you like to go for a walk?"  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Yeah, why not?"  
  
"Can we bring the cocoa?"  
  
"Sure. You get our jackets. Mine is in the hall." He followed   
the order as she rummaged around, looking for those portable drink   
holders she used on her walks. Finding her objective, she poured the   
mugs contents into their own carrier and placed the empty ones in the  
sink.   
  
"Is this the right one," he asked. His fingers held a white,  
down jacket.   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Here let me help you get it on."  
  
Slightly embarrassed, she turned and put her arms out behind   
her, and allowed him to slip the material up to her shoulders. His   
hands stayed there and slid slowly down the length of each of arm.   
Usagi broke the moment by spinning around and handing him his drink.  
  
"Ready to go?"  
  
Mamoru had still been a little out of it once she had turned  
away, but quickly recovered as she repeated her offer.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The air was cool from the snow that lay four inches deep. They  
hadn't said anything, just walked along the path and up to the star  
covered sky. Nightime had always been her favorite time for walks. No   
one was running around and the streets were traffic-less. Their breath   
materialized in the air ahead of them and brushed across their red  
cheeks. A few of the lawns they passed had snowmen and forts up.   
  
"I remember when I used to make snowmen. They were always   
perfectly symmetrical. But then my brother would smash them," she   
pouted.  
  
"What about you, Mamoru? Did you ever play in the snow?"  
  
He hesitated for a few moments, thinking about his reply.  
  
"Not really. My parents were always busy going from country to  
country that we never really stayed somewhere long enough to enjoy   
winter. I was always stuck in boarding schools while they attended   
meetings. I just watched the other kids enjoying the snow."  
  
"That's too bad. You never got to experience snow. Well, not in  
the childhood way."  
  
They walked about a block more in silence as Usagi wracked her  
brain for a good place to take him. They passed by a river that had   
frozen over and an idea stuck her.  
  
"Hey Mamoru. Have you ever gone skating before," she asked   
while she stopped.   
  
"No, not that I remember."  
  
"Then follow me." Usagi grabbed his jacket sleeve and began to  
run in the river's direction. The edge was near but she didn't slow   
down. If anything, she sped up. They made it to the ice full speed and   
Mamoru, not expecting the ice so soon, fell on his butt bringing Usagi  
  
down with him.  
  
"Whoo-hoo," she yelled out and threw her hands above her head.   
  
"AHHHHHH!"  
  
Mamoru wrapped his arms around Usagi's shoulders and hid his  
head as they flew straight into the side bank. They both fell back,   
gasping and trying to catch their breath.   
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha. Wasn't that the best!!"  
  
"Yeah, the greatest," he deadpanned.  
  
"Whatever, you know you had fun."  
  
"Well. Maybe just a little," he mocked as he imitated her  
reaction earlier. She grinned at him and then raised one, quizzical  
brow.  
  
"Mamoru, when were you planning on letting go of me?"  
  
She saw the confusion set on his handsome features and then be  
replaced by realization. To her surprise, his hold only tightened.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"What would you do if I said I'd never let you go?" he asked in  
a serious tone.   
  
Her mouth opened and closed, words lost to her. Her forehead  
scrunched and her eyes looked at him with confusion. She closed her  
eyes and leaned back her head. A sigh escaped from her and she brought  
her head back to face him.   
  
"I'd say you'll have to prove it to me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I guess I'll stop it there. I'm proud of myself. I can't   
believe that I made it this far. Well, email me at jaclenia@hotmail.com 


	4. 4

Here is chapter 4. I'm sorry about coming out with chapter 3 so late,   
but I sent it in wordpad instead of notepad. I think this will be ended  
in a the next chapter, but I haven't written it yet so, who knows.   
Email me at jaclenia@hotmail.com cause I LOVE email.!! Insert Usual   
Disclaimer Here.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'd say you'll have to prove it."  
  
He got a mischeivous look in his eyes and half-smiled at her.  
Mamoru leaned in towards her lips but kissed her temple at the last  
moment. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout. Not giving her a response,  
he just stood and began to walk away. *Wham*   
  
Cold, frozen water made contact with the back of his head and   
he turned around to see the perpetrator.   
  
"What?" she asked with her head looking around in jerky   
motions. Her eyes became wide and innocent.  
  
"It wasn't me. Must have been those kids I saw by that house."  
He stared at her with narrowed eyes for a few seconds and decided to   
let it go. 'She's a terrible liar.'   
  
"Whatever. C'mon, let's head back to your place."  
  
She nodded her head and joined him, falling back into their   
steady walking speed once again. She brought her cold fingers to her   
lips and breathed on them in an attempt at warming them up. He caught  
this from the corner of his eye and he took one in his own. Usagi held  
it in a firm grip until his heat warmed her.   
  
Usagi's heart was breathing a little faster than usual when   
they were standing this close. She didn't know how she felt about this  
man next to her. He could be the sweetest man at times, and the most  
arrogant at others. Than of course, there was the fact that their were  
competitors. How was it going to affect her work if they got together?  
Would she stop working to save the embarrasement of being second-rate  
with the man you love? Love? No, she didn't love him. Love was   
something she wrote about but didn't experiance. It was a thing of   
fantasy and it was categorized that way. True love just wasn't   
possible. Maybe deep feelings, but not love. Especially not with the   
man next to her.   
  
Her feelings were mixed as she slid her hand from his, letting  
it fall to her side without resistance. It seemed even colder now. 'No.  
I need to distance myself from him. I can't let this get serious. It's  
bad enough that I've led him on. And Motoki, what am I going to do   
about him? Maybe a vacation. Motoki's the one I love, the one I need   
right now' she finalized.   
  
Without her consent, tears had formed in her eyes. She wiped   
them away before they spilled and she couldn't understand why they'd  
started in the first place. She brushed it off as the cold air. At   
least, that's what she told herself it was.  
  
They walked once again in silence and she was thankful for   
that. If they'd been talking she knew there was no way that she could   
keep her feelings for him at bay. Just his voice was enough to send her  
mind in a haze. That was the last thing she needed right now. She   
needed to focus. 'See the objective, follow the objective,' she  
thought. It had been one of her middle school P.E. teachers favorite  
saying. It was kinda lame, but it worked in an odd kind of way.   
  
Her front porch light was begin to flicker as it came into   
view. 'I'll have to have that checked," she noted. Her bangs were   
beginning to get little bits of frost attachted to them and she hurried  
her speed. Mamoru had to jog to keep up. 'This is good. Space equals  
good.' And with that she was running towards her door. Too bad for her,  
she worked herself up too much and landed face first on her snowy lawn.  
  
"Facewash. That is one reason I was glad I didin't get to play  
in the snow," he joked and helped her up. She looked really cute with   
her face all red from the cold. His fingers lifted of their own   
volition to her face and brushed away the snow that hadn't been melted.  
  
'Oh god, what is he *doing*?! This isn't good. I'm losing my  
goal. I'm losing it.' His lips came to hers and she melted. 'It's  
gone.' Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer. Her   
senses were reeling and his breath still tasted of chocolate. His lips  
were soft as they carressed hers. A light caught her eyes and she   
jumped away. She couldn't meet his gaze and turned to get inside.   
  
"Usagi," he stated. His tone so soothing she couldn't stop   
herself from turning. Mamoru walked up to her and brushed away some of  
her bangs. He kissed her lightly and smiled.   
  
"I guess I'll have to talk to you tomorrow." She nodded and   
felt a little disappointed.   
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye." He turned around and walked toward the cycle. She   
looked at him until he was gone, then continued to stare in the same  
direction. Giving out a sigh, she walked through the door and closed   
it. Her head rested against it and her eyes closed. One weary hand   
rubbed at an imaginary headache. 'What am I doing?'  
  
Finding no answer, she threw her coat on the floor and went to  
her room. The usually warmth she found in her bed seemed to have left.   
'I can't believe this,' she thought crossly and turned on her side. The  
outfit she'd worn out had been thrown into a hamper and replaced by a   
simple nightgown.   
  
The material seemed to irritate her skin, but she ignored it.   
Her mind was at a loss and her heart felt weird. Weird was the only   
way to describe what she was feeling. It wasn't a pain, just a   
sensation that wasn't her usual one.   
  
Covering her head with a pillow, she layed on her belly and   
waited to fall asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
Her eyes switched their gaze from her ceiling to her clock and   
back. A tired sigh escaped from her lips and she closed her eyes for a   
period of time.  
  
'Five to nine. Three hours. I've been sitting here for three   
hours thinking of a guy. I've turning into all those love-struck   
teenagers I'd always pitied.'  
  
The sound of the shower resonated from the hallway. She pulled   
a pillow over her head and cursed Loi for his ability to stay out late  
and still wake up early in the morning. Usagi herself had never really  
been a morning person, preferring sleeping as late as possible. That  
had changed of course. You couldn't make it in life like that.   
  
Bare legs swung over the edge and dragged towards the closet.   
Clad in her robe, she stretched her muscles and decided she'd only have  
some cocoa. Her thoughts wandered elsewhere as she watched the cup   
moving in circles in the microwave. The beeping knocked her out of the   
reverie and she took it out. The steam was flowing from the top and   
heating her cheeks.   
  
The cooled cocoa tasted plain. It just didn't give her the   
usual feeling of warmth. It was just as if she was swallowing saliva.  
She frowned and her face became solemn. She had a speech to give at her  
old college at noon. She'd toyed with the idea of inviting Mamoru but  
she decided against it in the end. The only way to further the distance  
was to stay as far away from him for as long as possible.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The worn steps to Wilker Community College were made of marble,  
but you couldn't really tell after the thirty some years it had been   
open. Scratches decorated every inch of the thirty-dollar-per-foot   
material. The brick had seen better days as it had faded from the   
bright red to a dull orange. Plaster had been dabbed on cracks and was  
the only obvious sign of improvement.   
  
Parking her car in a reserved spot, she locked it and headed  
towards the main office, notes in hand. She looked more like a student  
than a lecturer but she used it to her advantage. When you looked like  
them, they wouldn't get intimidated. So, she decided on a pair of   
khakis and a long sleeved, navy sweater. A silver headband adorned the   
top of her pony-tailed hair as she walked down the front hallway.   
  
Wilker hadn't changed much since she'd been there. Everything  
had definatly been newer, but for simplicity's sake it all had the same  
basics. She eyed a few of the students works that were shown in the   
glass display case and gave herself a mental note to try and purchase  
some for her home.  
  
The halls were silent except for the distant talking of a   
weekend course in operation. At the end, she found the plain metal desk  
of Ms. Galle. Her hair was the same as always, curls giving it a few   
inches of height. The same brown glasses slid down her nose and were   
connected by a thin gold chain.   
  
"Long time, no see, Ms. Galle," she greeted.  
  
Ms. Galle looked up from the paperwork on her desk and smiled   
at her favorite student.  
  
"Hello, Usagi. Your early," she said with a glance at the watch  
on her wrist.   
  
"I know. I wanted to... collect my thoughts before I started."  
  
"That's fine. Take this," she told her with an outstretched   
hand. Usagi raised questioning eyes to her friend.  
  
"That has your visitor I.D. and the key to the room. Just make  
sure it's clean when you leave."  
  
"You know me, Ms. Galle."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After taking a few minutes to open the door, Usagi stepped into  
the large room where stadium seating filled the right half. It wasn't   
as bad as she remembered it. Of course, when she had been in this room  
she was usually bored out of her wits. 'I hope I don't do that.'  
  
Even though she wasn't starting for another half-hour, she was  
as nervous as the first time she'd lectured. Who was she to tell people   
how to write anyway? She wasn't a household name like Stephan King or   
John Grisham. She was just Usagi Tsukino from the small town of Wilker.   
She was still adjusting to the fact that she was published and loved by   
people all over the world.  
  
She ran her fingers over the surfaces of each desk as she   
descending towards the podium. College had been one of her favorite   
experiances in life and the memories made her love life pains almost  
bearable. The irony of the situation was almost laughable. 'How many   
times would I mope about Eric Saut in this very room?' she pondered.   
  
Reaching the ground floor, her heart beat against her chest in  
n almost painful way. 'Why am I so nervous. It's just a lecture. You've  
done it before, you'll do it again. You'll be fine.' The words calmed  
her somewhat, but the fear was still there. Taking a deep breath, she  
closed the distance between her and the microphone.   
  
The notes were placed on the ridge and rested there, waiting to  
be read. The microphone was only a few inches from her face and when  
she tried to look at it, she went cross-eyed. Tearing her gaze away   
from it, she gazed around the room and stopped at the high glass   
windows. They were covered with a thin layer of grime and rust that   
was dampening the amount of light entering the room. 'Well, I'm not   
going to speak with windows like that.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Usagi beemed as she looked at the   
windows with a bottle of borrowed Windex in her hands. They sparkled   
like new, and she congradulated herself.   
  
"Well, your a sight for sore eyes, Ms. Tsukino."  
  
Usagi turned her head and her blue eyes clashed with a pair of  
familiar green/gold ones covered by a pair of black framed glasses. His  
chestnut hair was streaked with more gray than she remembered but she'd  
changed too. She gave him a warm smile and walked over to give him a   
hug. This would have been unusual for a normal teacher-student to do,  
but he had been the one who'd encouraged her to enter writing as a   
career. Therefor, he was very important to her.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Meyer. It's been a long time," she said as she   
pulled from the embrace.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
They stood there in a comfortable silence for a few moments   
when they were interrupted by a group of students who were early for   
her lecture.   
  
"I guess you should get ready."  
  
"Yes. I'm glad you could make it," she added as he took a seat.  
  
He smiled and took his seat as she hid the Windex from view and  
went to her spot in the front of the room.   
  
Over the next few minutes the seats filled almost to the max,  
and she noticed the small amount of open spaces left. She tried to look  
busy by re-arranging the index cards, but when she heard the door open  
again, she looked up to see who it was. Her eyes widened in horror, but  
she shook it away as he proceeded to go up to her and give her a peck  
on the lips.  
  
"Hey Usagi. You thought I would miss you lecture?"  
  
"Of course not Motoki. I know I can always count on you," she  
answered with artificial sweetness.  
  
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I waited for you for lunch at  
your office." He leaned forward until they were nose to nose and his   
hand covered the mike.  
  
"Don't think I didn't see you and Mamoru. After this, your   
coming with me. We have some talking to do." With that, he turned   
swiftly and took a spot towards the back. It was right next to the only  
door, preventing any escape. The venom in his voice had chilled her to  
the bone and it took all the courage she could muster at that moment to  
look away. She prayed to whoever was protecting her up there and asked  
them to help her. Closing her eyes in a quick reflection, she began.   
  
Not two minutes into the speech, did the door open and an ever-  
dashing Chiba Mamoru walk in. He weaved between people and sat down in  
a seat two rows behind a fuming Motoki. He flashed her a wide smile,   
and winked. She didn't stop her words, but looked solely at him for the  
remainder, sending him mental S.O.S.'s.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
An hour had passed by the time Usagi finished up her lecture,   
but it seemed more like a minute to her. Time was moving too fast and   
the time when Motoki would steal her away was getting closer and   
closer. Saying a polite thank you, she stepped off the podium. The   
group clapped in a synchronized manner, the sound becoming loud and   
enthusiastic.  
  
A blush tinted her cheeks as a few whistles sounded threw the  
thunder of the crowd. The noise soon subsided and people walked up to  
her and said their own personal congrats. She answered back to   
questions as well as she could but her gaze kept wandering over to   
where Motoki stalked the doorway, his eyes cold and seering. She winced  
and looked back at the red-head of whom she was talking to.  
  
"I'm sorry everyone, but Ms. Tsukino has an appointment,"   
Mamoru lied as he made his way through the crowd to her. Moans of   
objection sounded but were fallen on deaf ears. He made it to her a   
little rumpled from the people he'd brushed by.   
  
Usagi pulled his head next to hers and whispered in his ear.  
  
"Get me out of here. There's someone here who's gonna hurt me  
if you don't."  
  
Mamoru jerked away at that statement and the sound of fear that  
had sounded clearly through it. Nodding his head, he brought her close  
to him and walked towards the door. Only a few feet away, Motoki stood  
blocking the door.  
  
"Excuse me, but we need to go," Mamoru stated in a tone that   
disguised his raging emotions.  
  
"You need to go. She's not going anywhere, especially not with   
you," Motoki countered.  
  
"And how are you going to stop me blondie," he asked with an   
arched brow.  
  
That was it. Motoki went over the edge. First, the guy takes   
away Usagi, then he has the nerve to insult him. Motoki barreled into   
the guy with a strength he'd never known he'd possesed. Both were   
knocked to the floor and continued to roll down the steps. Punches were  
thrown, only a few missing their intended targets.  
  
Usagi witnessed the scene in horror. She ran down the stairs   
after them and tried to plead them from breaking it up. They didn't   
listen and that annoyed her.   
  
"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" she screamed at them. The crowd that had  
formed cringed and covered their ears. She ingnored their actions and   
walked up to the warring twosome. One kick to each of their abdomens   
and they were three feet apart, holding their lower chest in a   
protective embrace.  
  
"How dare you two fight like that?! What are you, animals?! I  
am not going to be won over by whoever has the best right-hook!! You've  
both ruined my lecture and I never wanna see either of you again!!" she  
finished in tears. Turning away from them, she ran up the stairs and  
out the door.  
  
The two men stood up as the crowd around them slowly   
disipitated. They stood their for awhile until Mamoru decided to break  
the silence.  
  
"Who are you anyway?"  
  
Motoki looked up from the floor and smiled.  
  
"I'm Usagi's lover."  
  
Mamoru stepped back as though he'd slapped him. The words stung  
worse than any physical wound either Motoki or Usagi could have   
inflicted upon him.  
  
"Surprised, huh? Well, I was too when I saw you two in front of  
her office. She's a good kisser isn't she," he sneered, twisting the   
knife for all it was worth.   
  
Mamoru scrubbed at his lips in an effort to remove the memory  
of their kisses. It had all been a lie. She wasn't his. She'd toyed   
with him and his emotions. Anger built up inside him and he turned to  
face the blond man that had crushed his hopes.  
  
"Your lieing. She wouldn't go out with me if you two were still  
together. And, if you were, than why did she ask me to get her out of   
there because you were going to hurt."  
  
Motoki's forehead creased upward, surprised that she'd thought  
he would hurt her. Quite the opposite in fact. He'd been planning on   
making her choose between the two, he bribing her with a trip to the   
Bahamas.   
  
"She over-reacted."  
  
"Sure," he answered, his eyes filled with disbelief.  
  
"Excuse me gentleman."  
  
Both men turned in the direction of an older women who was   
looking at them from the top of the stairs.  
  
"But if you want to make amends with Usagi, she's in the   
library. You didn't hear it from me," she ended with a wink. The pair  
looked at eachother and ran towards the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Usagi slowed down and began walking in at a calmer pace. She   
knew she shouldn't have blown up at them like that. It was her fault.  
She had been going with Motoki and still went with Mamoru. Guilt   
consumed her and she was forced to lean against the wall. Her body slid  
down to the floor, her eyes closed. She made no effort to wipe away the  
dried tears.  
  
"Usagi? What's wrong?"  
  
Her eyes flew open and she looked up into the worried face of  
Ms. Galle. Plastering on a smile, Usagi stood and wiped away the tears  
after refusing to do so earlier.  
  
"I'm fine. Just something with-"  
  
"A man," she finished for her.  
  
Usagi nodded her head and looked away as new tears sprung to   
her eyes. Her motherly instincts kicking, Ms. Galle held her the   
weeping blond.   
  
"It's all my fault. I thought I loved him, and hated the other.  
Then we went to dinner, and lunch on the boat. The date last night.. I  
ruined everything!!" she cried into the secreatary's shoulder.   
  
"It's okay, Usagi. I'm sure everything will be okay. Remember  
what I told you the day Eric and you broke up?" she questioned and   
pulled away to look her straight in the eyes.  
  
"Mmhm. You said, 'If it was meant to be, it will be.'"  
  
"That's right. Now I want you to relax. Why don't you go to the  
library. I'll give you the key."  
  
Handing it to Usagi, the woman turned and began to walk away.  
  
"Oh, Ms.Galle!" she shouted to her. The secretery looked at her  
and smiled.  
  
"Thank you!!"   
  
And with those last words, Usagi headed to the one place she   
could think things out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The double-doors opened with a loud creak, showing the need   
for a squirt of oil. Closing it behind her, Usagi walked down the front  
aisle. It had a musty smell to it since many of the books were very   
old. Her fingers brushed along the bindings, her eyes looking at each  
title before moving on. She reached the end and sighed in defeat. She   
wasn't going to find any comfort in books.   
  
It was pretty ironic to her, that she would be so succesful at  
writing about romance but when it came to her own, she just *sucked*.  
Sitting at a nearby table, she rested her head in her hands and stared   
unseeing at the painting that rested above a cart of returned books.   
She recognized it as one of her classmates works. SHe'd won at state  
with that painting.   
  
Usagi brushed away those unnecessary thoughts and concentrated  
on the problem at hand. 'Who do I want?' she questioned herself. Motoki  
had made her everything she was. Published her books, made her happy,  
god, she owed him *so* much. Then there was Mamoru. He made her feel  
so... she couldn't find anything to describe it. But, it definatly   
wasn't love. She didn't believe in it, therefore, coudn't feel it. It  
was just a physical attraction.  
  
She ran her fingers through a few of the strands that had  
escaped the ponytail. The creaking of the library door caused her to   
stand up in a flash, her hair falling around her shoulders in wisps,   
the scrunchie lieing on the floor. She heard their voices and dashed  
behind the cart. Her eyes spotted the scrunchie, but the increase in   
volume of their voices kept her back. She cursed herself and became   
silent.   
  
"You look over there, and I'll go this way." Usagi made out   
Mamoru's voice, his tone concerned and demanding, just like him.  
  
"What makes you think that you can boss me around," Motoki   
huffed at him, approaching the taller man without hesitation. Mamoru  
looked down at him and his face grew stern and foreboding.  
  
"Listen, blondie." Motoki flinched at the name, but Mamoru   
continued on.   
  
"I don't feel like putting up with your arrogant crap right   
now. Usagi's gone and we have to find her. Now, if you can put your ego  
aside, let's go our ways." With that, Mamoru spun on heel and moved in  
the direction he'd put upon himself.  
  
She could hear a few mumbles from Motoki, but he too, turned,   
and looked for her.   
  
Usagi lay her head against the cart, rubbing her temple with   
her hands. A headache was forming and the last thing she needed was for  
it to get worse. 'Concentrate, concentrat-'  
  
"AHHHHH!!"  
  
Her words were cut off by the cart falling back and landing  
with a crash to the floor. The bottom of it slammed into her back,   
causing her to squint her eyes shut at the pain that surged through   
the expanse of it.   
  
"What was that?!" she heard them both exclaim at the same time.   
Their running footsteps approached and she cursed herself once again  
for being so negligent of accidents.  
  
"Usagi! Usagi are you okay?" Mamoru asked as he stood over her.   
His fingers brushed along her scrunched up face, smoothing out the   
tense look. She opened one curious eye at him and she closed it again.  
Her arms went imbetween the spaces of the shelves and she pushed   
herself up. Both men's hand's went to help her but she brushed them   
away and stood. Giving each of them a glance, she turned and began to  
walk away. She was hoping they would stop her, but they didn't. They   
just sat there, staring at her retreating back. The water in her eyes  
poured and she let them, the only thing on her mind was to get home.   
To go somewhere safe.   
  
Breaking open the front doors of the building, she flew down   
the steps and to her car, her hands shaking in such away that it was   
almost impossible to get them in the hole. Right before she broke open   
the window, the key slid in and unlocked the door. She hopped into it   
and slammed the door shut. She pulled onto the road and drove. To where  
she had no idea. She just drove.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
An hour later, Usagi stopped in front of her cabin. Her eyes  
searched the building for a few moments before she recognized it. It   
had been quite awhile before she'd come here. Why she had even come   
here was unknown to her. Deciding it was what she needed, she walked   
up the wooden steps and searched her keychain for the right key. The   
door opened and a fierce cold came upon her.   
  
"Stupid winter. Making everything so fucking cold," she   
continued on. Usagi was turning on various lights and fireplaces with   
only a question wandering through her mind. Was she cursing the snow   
and season or herself? Just thinking about that made her angrier. She   
tried to make some cocoa, but only succeeded in scalding her hands.   
  
The cold water of her kitchen sink ran over the injured area,   
soothing the pain inflicted. She stared at it, hoping it would somehow   
sooth her too.   
  
"FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she yelled, causing the birds in the  
nearby trees to fly off in horror. Usagi cut off the scream. It hurt  
her ears and she was surprised at just how loud it had been. 'That   
must be what true anguish sounds like.' She slumped forward and rested   
her head on the cool coutnertop next to the sink. And she cried. She   
cried because nothing made sense to her. She didn't know who she loved.  
Didn't know how to love.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That's it for chapter 4. I used a little more language than I usually   
do, but hey, I'm not one to sugar-coat anything. In the situation she's  
going through, those are the words someone like her would use. Email   
any comments to jaclenia@hotmail.com 


	5. 5

Chapter 5 and the Epilogue are here!! It only took me about two days  
to write this one and I know that it's shorter than all my other one's  
but, all well. There is some important stuff at the bottom so please   
read them when your done. Don't forget to email me at   
jaclenia@hotmail.com Insert Disclaimer Here.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A week passed and still Usagi stayed in her solitude. She'd   
made numerous calls to Naru and her brother, apologizing for different  
things. To her brother, for not staying with Loi. To Naru, for making  
her take on twice as much work.  
  
'I should really give her a break,' Usagi thought as her   
secretary passed through her thoughts. She really did give the girl too  
much work. She sat at in her living room, the coffee table littered   
with the packages of snacks she'd lived off of. Her feet rested on it,  
the bottoms of her black slippers preventing any slipping. She stared  
at them with interest, her head tilted to one side.   
  
She gave out a sigh and layed back against the couch. The   
muscles in her arm ached as she'd spent the week typing on her spare  
computer. Ever since that day, she'd been unable to do anything but. It  
soothed her, but didn't heal her.   
  
Reading over the first draft, she realized the similiarities of  
the characters in her story to herself. It was a direct reflection of  
the events that had been occuring in her life. It would seem odd to   
most for an author not to know that she was writing about herself, but  
that just shows what bad writers they are. A writer writes. They don't  
plot or plan ahead, they just get a thought, write it down, and   
something inside of them keeps the story going.   
  
Her red pen lay at her side, un-needed. The words being her  
thoughts, they came in clearly, each one filled with emotion that swept  
her or a reader away.   
  
Usagi sat there for the next three and a half hours, the only  
movement besides her eyes was when she needed to turn the page. The pen  
was now in her hands and a few marks were on the many pages. Seeing a  
mistake, she crossed out a few words and replaced them.   
  
She tossed the copy onto the floor and stared at the ceiling.  
She didn't like the ending. Not just the ending in her story, but the   
one in her life. No one wanted things to end this way. But they had, in  
both. The shrill sound of her telephone brought her back to reality.   
Standing, she walked the few feet to the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Usagi. I just wanted to tell you that you have an   
appointement today."  
  
Usagi groaned loudly and considered hanging up right there. Of  
course, her mother had worked hard at implanting manners into her head  
and she decided to knock the thought of her head.   
  
"Not today, Naru. I'm not in the mood," she told her in the   
hopes that Naru would let things be. No such luck.  
  
"I'm sorry, Usagi, but you can't miss this. It's a television  
broadcast about you new book. There expecting you at three."  
  
"But I haven't even finished it yet!!" she argued.   
  
"That doesn't matter. Tokyo International is putting this on   
to keep your interests intact. I'll tell them to expect you." Then,   
before Usagi had the chance to argue, she hung up.  
  
Usagi looked at the phone and placed it back on the cradle.   
She scowled and walked towards her bedroom. She peered into the closet  
and looked for something to wear. It was bare except for a few shirts  
and slacks, but nothing she could wear to something like this.   
  
"Then I guess I'll just go to the mall," she deadpanned to   
no one. She returned to the living room, grabbing a garbage can on her   
way, and began to throw away the trash that was laden all around the   
room.   
  
She walked over to the front entrance of the room and smiled  
with approval. It looked better than before. She tossed on a pair of   
jeans and a green sweater, pulling on a pair of leather gloves as she   
headed out the door. She threw the bag in the outdoor trash can and   
went in her car, happy that she know had a direction.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The traffic on the highway was light as the Christmas season   
was right around the corner. Staring at the bleak whiteness around   
herself, she wished she was with Mamoru again, at that city she didn't  
know, where there was no snow and they could just sit and eat ice   
cream without any worries. She wondered just where it was that he had  
taken her. It hadn't been that long of a drive from her office. The   
thought that a place like that had been so close and that she'd never  
heard about it upset her.  
  
Usagi threw the thought from her mind and concentrated at the  
road ahead. The road was slick but she handled it quite well, the years  
of experiance she'd had here paying off. The sign for her turn came   
and went and she turned to the lane to her right.   
  
The silence was beginning to get to her, so she flipped on the  
radio and pressed the seek button. A few stations passed until she   
heard one that caught her eye, or *ear* in this case. It was one of   
those Christmas talk shows and the caller was a woman from Tennessee   
who had just divorced and was missing her husband. She almost pitied  
the woman, but she figured the woman didn't need it.   
  
The caller was switched just as she pulled onto the exit and   
entered the outskirts of Tokyo. The caller was male and had a really  
nice voice, she noted. He talked about someone he loved, but was afraid  
she didn't feel the same. How he'd tried to take the relationship   
farther, but she hadn't responded and seemed to distance herself from  
him. Listening to the conversation, she decided to pity the poor woman  
who'd done such a stupid thing. The man sounded like one heck of a   
catch.  
  
Her driveway came into view and smiled at the fact that there  
were no newpapers piled on her frontstep. She really needed to give   
Naru a raise. If it wasn't for that girl, Luna would be dead and her   
porch and mailbox would be filled.  
  
The door of her garage came up at the push of the button and   
she started to pull in. Then she heard it.  
  
"That was a most touching story, caller. Now if I may ask, what  
is your name?"  
  
"My name is Darien S-"  
  
"No last name's please," she told him.  
  
Usagi blanked out and forgot to press the brake on her car,   
causing it to crash with the end of her garage, knocking her back into  
reality. She backed out, and turned off the car. She sat there for a   
few moments and stared into space. She'd pitied herself. Something   
she'd promised herself she'd never do.   
  
A snowball hit her window and she looked to find the culprit.   
She saw a pair of the neighbors kids and smiled at them. They returned  
to their playing without a response. She gazed at her wrist-watch and  
saw that she had only an hour before the meeting. Getting out of the   
car, she released all thoughts about the men in her life with each  
crystalized breath she took. 'Today's is a day for my success, not for  
my love life.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The room had looked much like she'd expected, located in a   
hotel and decorated accordingly. The carpets were marroon and the walls  
white, roses of the same colors inhabiting glass vases that were placed  
on different end tables. She looked around the room for someone she   
recognized, and finding the head of Tokyo Publishing, she walked over  
to him.   
  
"Konnichiwa," she greeted at his turned back. The man turned   
and smiled at her, his arm outstretched for a hand shake.   
  
"Usagi, I was afraid you wouldn't show. I assume you've met my  
friend here," his said as he indicated a man she hadn't noticed.   
  
"Hey Usagi," Mamoru asked in a business-like that matter that   
bothered her.  
  
"Greetings, Mamoru-san," she replied in a forced tone. If her  
wanted formalities, she would give him formalities. That and the fact  
that he had a woman on his arm. She seemed to be twenty at the least,   
and the girl had no problems in making it known. The girls gold eyes   
looked around the room and spotted a blond man with whom she excused  
herself from the two. They stood eyeing eachother for a few moments   
before the silence was broken by Mr. Tanaki.  
  
"So are you two ready to start?"  
  
Usagi stared at him in confusion.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Didn't you know? You and Mr. Chiba here are here to discuss   
each of you new books."  
  
"Really?" she asked with a tilted head in Mamoru's direction,  
her suspicion rising about the whole thing. Mamoru ignored her   
questioning look and responded with an eager yes for the both of them.  
Tanaki and Mamoru walked towards the table, cameras taking pictures   
every few seconds. She followed them and was assaulted with twice as   
many light flashes. Boy was she happy that she'd had a fashion   
consultant pick out her outfit. The last thing she needed right now was  
to be the one in the 'Would You Be Caught Dead In This Outfit?' column.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The meeting went for about an hour and she couldn't count how   
many times she'd seen female reporters flirting with Mamoru. It was   
disgusting. 'Why do I care?' Turning her attention away from him, she   
looked to the young reporter who had a question for her.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Yes. Ms. Tsukino, would you say this book reflects you in any  
way? Any similarities?"  
  
Usagi stared at the man with a blank look for a few seconds,   
but she caught herself and smiled at the man.  
  
"I've read it over and it does. In almost every sense of the   
word," she replied with confidence. That comment riled up the reporters  
and they were on her in seconds with questions. She was happy to have  
the attention away from him. Less attention on him, less distraction.  
In fact, she was ecstatic. For the first ten minutes. Her throat began  
to get soar and she noticed that no water had been provided.  
  
When she thought it couldn't get any worse, Mamoru put his arm  
around her shoulders and he answered a question for her. Silence   
followed for a few minutes and Usagi glared up at him. He only pulled   
her closer.   
  
"What, do you THINK you are DOING?" she hissed at him in a low   
voice. His fingers rubbed her opposite shoulder and leaned his mouth  
next to her ear.   
  
"What you need."  
  
With those few words, he turned towards the reporters and   
closed up the meeting. Reporters were disappointed, but the  
photographers weren't. Everyone fought to get a picture of the new   
couple. At least what appeared to be the new couple.  
  
The walk to the private lunchroom seemed to take forever. She   
longed to just run out of there and way from this man. He was so damn   
confusing. It drove her INSANE! She was almost beginning to think that   
she liked him, but then he pulls a stunt like this. The nerve. Just   
goes to show that first impressions are always right.  
  
Usagi pulled away from his arm and sat herself acroos from the  
vice president of Tokyo Publishing. To her extreme displeasure, Mamoru  
took the seat next to her and this time he put his arm aroung her   
waist. It was at that moment that her brain shut down and her heart   
overcame. To the surprise of both, she swung her legs over his lap and   
rubbed his shoulder much like he'd done to her earlier.  
  
The woman next to the vice president raised her eyebrows at the  
two, seeming to be surprised at the action. Tanaki whispered something  
in her ear and she nodded with a look of acknowlegdement.   
  
"Mamoru?"  
  
"Yes Usagi."  
  
"How did you know what to do to break me down?" she asked while  
looking him in the eyes.  
  
"All I needed to know was that I love you, and love conquers   
all. I knew it wouldn't take too long to know that you love me too."  
  
"Mamoru, how do you know you love me? I mean, I don't know how   
if that's how I feel. I do have feelings for you, but love is something  
I don't understand. Can we take it slow?"  
  
He leaned his forhead down to hers and whispered in her ear.  
  
"I don't care how slow or fast we go, just as long as your with  
me."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Epilogue  
  
Usagi and Mamoru sat side by side at the table, their finished  
books displayed according to the author. People were lined up outside  
the door, waiting to get their autographed copies of these newest   
best-sellers.   
  
"Mamoru, I'm nervous."  
  
"Don't be," he whispered and gave her hand a reassuring   
squeeze. She smiled back at him and looked out the glass windows at the  
crowd. The cashier walked up to the door and opened it, a stream of   
people approaching their table.   
  
"I just wanted to say," a woman with blond hair told the two,  
"that it's wonderful you've both found someone. I just met my soulmate  
and I couldn't be happier. I wish you both the best." She took the   
book and left.   
  
Usagi stared at the ground for a moment, the whole talk of   
soulmates and love making her a bit uncomfortable. She would have   
pondered this thought longer if the next person in line hadn't put in  
their own two cents about their relationship. She hoped it wouldn't be  
like this for the rest of the day.  
  
Mamoru handled most of that talk, knowing that Usagi was unsure  
of her feelings. He knew she loved him, and he was willing to wait for  
her to admit it. He just prayed it would be soon.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
THE END!!!! Not exactly how you thought it would is it? I'm coming out  
with another story that continues on from this. I thought it was a cool  
idea, making an alternate universe series. Please email me and tell me  
if I should or not. Email me at jaclenia@hotmail.com 


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